Who would have thought it, I managed to win a little money at the Holnicote point to point last week – things are looking up!  In more ways than one, because the weather has taken a glorious turn and the memories of our very wet Easter are now distant as we are baking in the sun and wondering how long the grass will remain green if this beautifully sunny weather continues.

It is of course PERFECT camping weather and we have been completely inundated with campers eager to evict the metaphorical moths from their kit.  The campsite has been a joyfully busy sight and dear Phil has been run off his feet trying to keep up.  It really has been quite a change of gear since Easter.
 
The merriment is set to continue this weekend as we host the annual Porlock Duck Race, a fantastic village event that has a long history.  The event on Sunday 20 May has continued to improve in recent years and as well as featuring a long list of races, it now includes barbeque and bar, tea, cakes and ice creams, donkey rides, bouncy castle, face painting and a best hat competition.  The action starts at 2pm but you are advised to arrive early if you wish to ‘own’ and name a duck as they get bought up very quickly!  Car parking and entry are free and all monies raised go towards putting on Porlock Carnival, which is itself a great family event which runs on 1 September 2018.  Come along and enjoy the spectacle with us.
 
If you are looking for camping, please do come along and find us, we operate on a very laid-back basis and generally speaking no advance booking is necessary.  Please bear in mind though that our sunny weekends, particularly the bank holidays and that of nearby Weirfest (28 June – 2 July) are very busy and that the electric hook ups for these weekends are almost all spoken for at the time of writing.  If in doubt give Phil a ring on 07721 045123 (but please go easy on him if he’s very busy, he hasn’t had time to pause for breath recently!).

​Oh dear, I omitted to mention here the biggest event in the Sparkhayes calendar… the Duck Race..!  Apologies to anyone who missed out on this annual treat because I forgot to publish a reminder, consider me reprimanded.  We had a great day, the field was buzzing with excitement as the crowds enjoyed the races and we were really lucky to get them all completed before a little shower of rain arrived.  Thanks to everyone who came and supported this charitable event and we’ll look forward to seeing you all at the Carnival in September – I’m telling you now it’s on Saturday 2 September, you need to be in the village, parked and ready before 6pm.
 
It’s absolutely no excuse but I have been a little distracted lately, by my wonderful children and some little adventures we’ve been on.  We’ve sampled some of the delights of Dorset and camped for a night on the Isle of Purbeck, taking in the Maritime Festival at Poole Harbour, then we jetted to Scotland and enjoyed a hunt for Nessie while scoffing haggis flavoured crisps washed down with Iron Bru (I know how to have a good time hehe!). 
 
Our next wanderings might be a little more continental but for now, we are here to help and serve visitors to the most special corner of the UK, the beautiful and blissfully peaceful Porlock Vale.  An increasing number of folk seem to be relishing the escape from their newsfeeds, emails, televisions, election highlights, terror threats, etc, etc. If you need a break, come and find us here at Sparkhayes, where we’ve always encouraged visitors to ‘unplug’, and in turn unwind, at our basic but friendly camp site where some of us aren’t even 100% sure what wifi means… 

Well, if you watch the news, it would be easy to believe that 2017 has been a pretty crazy year already and we’re only a month into it.  If it’s all a bit too depressing for you, put down the paper, turn the TV off and start planning a holiday to pretty Porlock this Spring.  We are fortunate enough to be quite isolated from national and international affairs and have a wonderfully relaxed pace known locally as ‘Porlock Time’…!  Holiday-makers are already starting to fill their diaries and make bookings with us, so think ahead and let us welcome you for a relaxing break.  We have our usual booking of a large group arriving on 2 July and departing on 7 July, so maybe avoid those dates if you can, and for bank holidays the advice is to book early if you’d like an electric hook up! 
 
While you’re filling in the diary, you might like to note various Porlock events; there’s the Charity Duck Race here at Sparkhayes on Sunday 28 May, our annual Weirfest from Thursday 29 June until Sunday 2 July and of course Porlock Carnival on Saturday 2 September to name a few..!  We’re also anticipating the second Samphire Festival, held within sight of the camp site, on Friday 7 – Sunday 9 July.  Voted best small festival of 2016, take a look at the video on the right if you’re curious!  If camping at the festival itself is a bit too much for you (and the family) come down to the village and rest your heads at Sparkhayes instead.
 
We’re sure you’ll be delighted to know that our prices are being held AGAIN!  So the 2015 prices remain for 2016 and 2017.  Hopefully that’s a refreshingly positive piece of news, among so many worrying ones.  Have you been to stay at Sparkhayes in the past twelve months?  Would you like to share some photos on our blog?  Send them to us at [email protected] and we’ll be glad to put them here. 
 
Looking forward to welcoming you, campers old and new, for a fantastic 2017 season.  

Hello and goodness, have I experienced a time warp?!  We’re already half way through February half term..!  I’m not sure how that happened, though suspect it might have something to do with me being submerged in emulsion paint, masking tape and the heady satisfaction of getting the job done.  I have temporarily emerged, paint splattered, to wish you well and hope that you’re enjoying the start of Spring.  

There are all sorts of renovation works occurring here at Sparkhayes and regular visitors will notice (hopefully) some improvements to our facilities.  While we want to enhance what we offer, we still aim to provide traditional and some might say basic camping facilities, though our hot showers and various ‘extras’ continue to earn us brownie points in the wonderful reviews we receive.  

We are also planning improvements to the annual Duck Race, held here at Sparkhayes camp site, this year on Sunday 29 May.  As well as the usual hilarity (do I have to… the quacking good fun *groan*), the licensed bar and barbecue, this year we will also be offering the children donkey rides and a bouncy castle!  These latter ideas might help the parents among you to enjoy the bar and barbecue with a little more leisure.  There’s the added bonus of hopefully winning some money with your lucky duck!   Admission is free and proceeds go towards the fantastic Porlock Carnival (put that in your diary too, it’s on Saturday 3 September in 2016).

Returning to events that are closer at hand, Saturday 19 March will be a busy day in Porlock.  The keen horticulturalists among us will be up at dawn to put the finishing touches to our floral displays and deliver them to the village hall for the annual Porlock Vale Horticultural and Crafts Society Spring Show.  Then we can hop along to Porlock Visitor’s Centre where at 10am a group will head off to clean up the village and beach, equipped with bin bags and litter-pickers.  Finishing at 1pm, volunteers will at some point be aided with the welcome supply of coffee and cake.  

We have to be back at the village hall after that to witness the wonderful displays of Spring flowers and handicrafts, with prize-giving taking place between 4 and 4.30pm.  Having brought all our booty home, it will be time to collapse in front of the TV!  Entries for the Spring Show are open to all, not only locals, so check out the schedule to be found here and make sure you’re entries are in no later than Tuesday 15 March.  You’re equally welcome to join the volunteer group with our annual village clean-up, all help is most gratefully received.  

Right, where did I put that spirit level?!

What a fantastic half term it’s been in Porlock Vale!  There has been SO. MUCH. TO. DO. We’ll all be needing a break during June, right?! Think again, there’s a lot to entice campers both active and restful during the coming month.  Thanks so much to all those who came along to our duck race, it was as usual a really fun day for all ages, with lots of friends meeting up to dream up pun-tastic names for the ducks..!  A great day, during which we raised funds for Porlock Carnival; a highlight of village life to look forward to in September!  We also enjoyed the World Crabbing Championship, held at our pretty harbor of Porlock Weir.  The winners scooped the trophy with around 180 crabs, what an incredible feat. These brilliant photos were taken by MnD Photography, thanks guys!

Looking ahead then we have great news for readers wherever they are in the UK; our beautiful moors, wildlife and customs are to be featured in a four-part series - Johnny Kingdom’s Wild Exmoor.  Starting on Monday, 1 June, at 8.00pm on ITV, these half hour programmes illustrate each of the four seasons.  By the time we reach winter (on 22 June!) Johnny will have reached Porlock and will be joining in with our annual wassail.  It’ll be interesting to see whether the cameras managed to film anything at all, since it was very dark while they were here!  If you don’t know what wassailing is, it’s time to find out… but we’ll save that for another update.

The Porlock Pantomime and Drama Society are planning to delight us on 4-6 June with ‘Are You Being Served’.  The standard of these performances is always second to none and if you’re staying in Porlock this week we urge you to come along, the show starts at 7.30pm on each of the above dates, with a 2.30pm matinee on Saturday.  From what we’ve heard about the rehearsals, it’s going to be a hilarious experience! The doors and bar open half an hour beforehand and tickets (available from Porlock Hardware) are £8 per adult and £5 per under 16.

If you’re staying with us during July, don’t forget Weirfest – the real ale festival at Porlock Weir that showcases extraordinary musical talent from 3-5 July.  A minibus service is available between Porlock village and the Weir, with no admission prices and an all-day barbeque, it’s an event that the locals are looking forward to as much as the visitors.  

Finally (for now) – check out our smart new sign..! 

We were a bit despondent about the forecast, which turned from glorious sunshine to rain last week.  But actually, it’s turned out to be not half as bad as we’d imagined.  This morning’s walk around part of the National Trust’s Holnicote Estate (not half a mile from the camp site) was beautifully sunny and memorable for the incredible farming activity going on (do these farmers ever rest?!) and the variety of wildlife.  The photo shows one of my favourite rolling fields, looking towards Minehead.

Will the going be good for the first Point to Point of the season?! For those who aren’t sure what a Point to Point is, it’s an amateur horse race, much more relaxed than a big race meeting, where the public can get really close to the action and maybe have a flutter, in what is a wonderfully sociable day out.  We are lucky enough to have a fantastic course here at Holnicote.  The horses are trying to qualify for bigger races and there’s always a real mix of talent; some will go on to be champions (but which?!) and this makes the betting all the more interesting, backing an outsider might net you some serious cash if you’re brave enough to put some cash on it.  Either way, it’s a fun experience and takes place this Sunday, 3 May, from 1 or 2pm (you’re advised to get there early to get a parking spot with a good view).  Take a picnic or make use of the refreshments and beer tent.  If you can’t get to this one, there’s another Point to Point here on Saturday 9 May..!

Looking further ahead, Sunday 24 May is the date of our annual Duck Race.  Held here at Sparkhayes Campsite, it’s a much-loved family event that is held to raise funds for the village Carnival.  There’s the chance to name your duck and watch it race in a whole series of races along our carefully built course in the stream, with the hope of winning a small cash prize.  Goodness, I’ve just realized that it means more gambling… oops!

On Thursday 28 May, head to the Bottom Ship at pictureseque Porlock Weir for an evening of traditional sea shanties, a fitting location for such revelry and a pretty walk from the campsite (though you’d certainly need a torch on the way back).  

And if you’re still feeling competitive despite the chance to lose your money at two Point to Points and then the Duck Race, come along to Exmoor’s World Champion Crabbing Competition, again at our pretty harbor, on Sunday 30 May.  All ages are welcome (which is lucky, since I’m itching to have a go), bring your own bucket, line and bait (all available in Porlock and at the Weir) for the chance to win the coveted trophy, which was handmade by Bristol Blue Glass - whose studio at Porlock Weir is well worth a visit. 

Phew, you’ll need to relax in the peaceful surroundings of Sparkhayes after all that excitement.